A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan Literary Analysis Essay Example

The title of the novel, “A pair of tickets”, can make the impression that this is a simple adventure story. Amy Tan’s “A Pair of Tickets” is the account of Jing-mei, an American lady on an expedition to China to meet her half-sisters, deserted by her mother in China during World War II. She finds her Chinese legacy by learning from her father’s tales about her mother’s history and the names of the ladies in her family permitting her to connect profoundly with them and the places she’s going.Amy Tan uses symbolism, setting, and conflict to emphasize the changing viewpoints of Jing-mei’s life and her pursuit of her mother’s dream.

By expressing complex ideas through symbolism, Tan evokes the senses and provides a visual experience for her readers. As Jing-Mai moves from America to China, she engages in a journey laden with symbolism. Jing-mei uses this journey to discover her roots by reflecting on her past and experiencing her family members’ experiences. To understand themselves, individuals must always consider their past or the experiences of those around them. Moving from America to China is the culmination of what her deceased mother told her one day. The letters that Jing-Mai touches that were sent to her mother from China symbolize her voice from the past. The desire is in her blood, so one day she will see it... It’s waiting to be let go" (Tan 237). Her mother told her it was her “long-cherished wish” (Tan 249). Quotes like these embody symbolism in this story and portray the family as an unbreakable bond in life. Throughout the story, the author used names that symbolized each character’s personality, and how they relate to each other and their mother as well. The photographs taken throughout the story, as well as the type of camera used by the characters, are symbols of their emotions and feelings.

How does the setting help Amy Tan give the reader a unique view on how Jing-ming’s viewpoint is changing? Taking place in China, A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tan shows how the narrator learns about her Chinese heritage and the history of her family." When I was fifteen and had vigorously denied that I had any Chinese whatsoever below my skin. I was a sophomore at Galileo High in San Francisco, and all my Caucasian friends agreed: I was about as Chinese as they were"(Tan 130). At the start of the book gives the reader insight into how Jing-Ming feels about her heritage. Because of her time in the United States, she does not feel connected to her legacy. After her mother died, Tan remembers her mother saying, “Once you are born Chinese, you cannot help but feel Chinese.” When her father took her with him to China, she meets her relatives and finally realizes the stories from her mom are factual. Once she gets into the setting of china, she says, “my bones are aching with a familiar old pain. And my mother was right. I am becoming Chinese.” The setting of “A Pair of Tickets” is important because it shows Jing-Ming’s understanding of who she is and her family, as well as relates to the core theme of the story.

How does conflict emphasize jing-ming changing viewpoint? Conflict serves to create tension in the story so that readers are more engaged with it. Throughout the novel, there is a conflict between Jing-mei’s identity based on her heritage and her image. She feels like her current lifestyle in the United States doesn’t represent her heritage. Jing-ming feels an array of emotions as she tries to live in her deceased mom’s heritage. Tan is using a man against self-type conflict. One of the most interesting types of conflict in fiction is character-versus-self since it reflects the reality of human experience. This keeps the story and characters complex. After Jing-ming resolves her internal conflict, it creates a sense of closure and self-discovery.

With the use of symbolism, setting, and conflict, Amy tans “a pair of tickets” to convey changing perspectives views of Jing-mei’s life and the need for a mother and daughter relationship. This story can be relatable to people. We can relate to the internal conflict of not understanding our own culture. We also symbolize things from our deceased relatives. The moral of the story is that it is important to understand our family roots to feel complete.